A Champion's Journey
by YonaYakusoku
Summary: Being a Champion is every aspiring pokemon trainer's dream. Hikari too, thought so. But what does it take to become a Champion? What does it mean to be a Champion? Join her in her journey as she strives towards her goal and discovers more about herself and her Pokemon along the way. Perhaps unearth a few deeply hidden secrets while she's at it…
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. **

_Synopsis: Being a Champion is every aspiring pokemon trainer's dream. Hikari too, thought so. But what does it take to become a Champion? What does it mean to be a Champion? Join her in her journey as she strives towards her goal and discovers more about herself and her Pokemon along the way. Perhaps unearth a few deeply hidden secrets while she's at it…_

**Prologue**

Clashes of metal and explosions ring in the air as human and pokemon engage in the most devastating war ever seen in history. Humans fight with their superior weaponry and control over aura while pokemon fight with devastating power and control over the elements; both sides seem equally balanced in power. Casualties die by the thousands.

The whole Earth groans against the violence wrought by human and pokemon. Earthquakes rip the ground apart, as massive fissures overlay the Earth. Lava oozes out, devouring solid ground like a hungry snorlax – unstoppable, uncontrollable. Massive tidal waves crashes against shores, drowning whole islands in obscurity. Thunder roars and lightning flashes, the night sky dyed in the colour of blood. Shrieks and cries of human and pokemon resonates in the air. It was the sound of battle, of pain and death.

They were supposed to live in love, peace and harmony. Growing with each other in intimacy, and enjoying the lives they have been given. Witnessing his creations killing and destroying each other, his heart breaks in anguish. His soul cries out in anger and grief. The universe shakes in response to his heart-wrenching cry. For the first time in eternity, Arceus cried.

How did it come down to this? Greed and envy are such hideous desires, capable of twisting the purest of hearts, bringing devastation to the world. However, with good accompanies evil, Arceus laments. If only they had not craved for power they cannot reach. Humans aimed for control over the elements, while pokemon aimed for human weaponry. When did it start? There was no clear beginning. A vicious cycle of hurt and revenge, snowballed to such devastating results. Never ending cries of help echoes in his ears, as human and pokemon pray to the one God they know in regret for what they have started. But, can spilt milk be recovered? Arceus steeled himself for what has to be done. It is time.

A call reverberates in the soul of each guardian of the world, also known as legendary pokemon in the eyes of humans.

_It is time. Come to me._

One after the other, legendaries disappeared from the world, reappearing by Arceus's side, bowing in unison. An air of solemnity hung in the air, and even the usually mischievous Mew has lost all its spirit, weighed down by grief for the world and his father, Arceus.

"_Perhaps I was wrong in believing in the good of human and pokemon, that they can one day coexist." _Arceus sighed in regret.

"_I knew humans were no good. They can't be trusted! They are all power-hungry maniacs, look how they captured and tortured pokemon for the ability to rule the world!" _Giratina, guardian of the distortion world, declared in righteous anger, bringing about a wave of discussion among the circle.

"_Indeed, as a sword of justice, I have seen countless cases of innocent hurt from corruption and selfishness. However, they come from human and pokemon alike. Pokemon are not exempt from this." _Though weary and harrowed from fighting, Cobalion spoke with poise. A few others nodded in agreement. Regigigas beeped.

"_There are good humans too! Humans who use aura responsibly for the betterment of human and pokemon. Humans who respect pokemon freedom and protest against injustice." _Latios trilled in defense of humans. Raquaza shook his head in disagreement. "_That's the rare minority_."

"_Well, even if they are the minority, surely they exist!" _Latios argued. Quiet mutterings heated up into full blown arguments as more guardians voiced out their opinions and exerted their stand. Only Mew remained in silent contemplation.

Arceus frowned at the noise. _"Silence."_

The circle instantly quiets as everyone turns to their Lord for instruction. Arceus turns to Mew and his expression softens. _"What do you think, Mew?"_ Mew's head snapped up, startled out of his thoughts. Everyone watched him in tense anticipation, you could hear a pin drop. Despite his small, pink, cuddly appearance, Mew's wisdom and power is not to be underestimated. As the origin of all pokemon, Mew witnessed the growth of Earth since its creation. As such, he is also Arceus's most trusted partner and confidant.

"_I believe there are a few core reasons why human and pokemon could not reconcile. Lack of communication and mutual understanding is one. Not in the form of a language barrier, no; but a lack of interest. Each believed in their superiority, and did not seek to understand the other's perspective. They wallowed in their own problems and desires; just like a froakie in a well, unable to see the vast expansive sky._

_Secondly, unless one's whole being is good and incapable of corruption, such as you, my Lord, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Pardon me for my brutal honesty, but I believe we guardians also have a part to play in this._

_We have selfishly involved humans and pokemon in our feuds. We blatantly take sides…and bully the weak. I do not blame the humans for feeling threatened by our actions." _Mew paused, sweeping his eyes across the hall. Many guardians consciously looked down in guilt, unable to meet his eyes.

"_Perhaps we need some restrictions to prevent conflicts from escalating to irresolvable situations. For example, if aura can only be unlocked through a deep bond between human and pokemon…_

_All these being said, I still believe in the good of your creations, my Lord. Let us give them a chance to redeem themselves, start from a new slate. As for we, the guardians, perhaps it is time we become what the humans have long called us – legends."_

"_Mew, I agree. But this change is huge. It is world-changing in scale! The power required to effect such a change, is probably more than what we have, combined! Not to mention the burden on our Lord Arceus…" _

Arceus interrupted a worried Xerneas with a sigh._ "I understand. I have come to terms with this since I called for our meet. Rest assured, though I may slumber for a thousand years, I will not die. Anymore opposing views?"_

"…"

"_Then let us start."_

Arceus stands at the center of the hall with a face of tranquility. All 17 plates levitate and glows in colours of the rainbow, blending into blinding white. The guardians surround him in a circle, releasing all their energy in beams of light. Slowly Arceus levitates and the hall starts to shake in the presence of overwhelming power.

Back on Earth, the ground trembles as fissures close and lava retreats. Water recedes, once again revealing destroyed land. Grass sprouts and flowers bloom, restoring forests and meadows to their previous beauty. The first rays of sunlight peek out of receding clouds, bathing the newly awakened land in a warm orange glow. Pained cries transform to cries of joy and wonder as injured pokemon and humans are healed. However, with this light comes an inexplicable sense of loss and confusion. Humans can no longer sense aura. The one energy source they have relied on to power their equipment and weaponry has abruptly disappeared. Fear creeped into their hearts as they turned to their long-standing enemies – Pokemon.

But stranger things occurred. Pokemon lost their ability to speak the human language. They looked around in confusion, calling out in their own pokemon tongue, as if wondering – what am I doing here? The stolen human weapons dropped to the ground, unable to be used.

In this massive confusion, Arceus appeared in a bright light. His words reverberated in the soul of every living creature, bringing them to tears.

_I have heard your pleas and stopped this war. From now on, human and pokemon shall not be enemies. They shall exist in symbiotic relationship, mutually dependent on each other. Only by working together as partners, can you reach your fullest potential._

And just as suddenly as he appeared, Arceus left, leaving behind a shell-shocked world.

And thus, marks the start of a brand new world.

**Author's note:**

Hi everyone! This story is inspired by the Pokemon anime and my playthrough of Pokemon Ultra Moon. Therefore, it shall be based in Kanto and Alola and include elements of Ultra Moon storyline. It is my first story, so please have mercy on me . Though I will greatly appreciate constructive feedback on my writing, thank you!


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Legend:

"_Pokemon speaking in italics"_

"Normal human speech"

"_Free…free…" _Trees swayed gently in the breeze, as multitudes of butterfree fluttered lazily from flower to flower, heralding the start of a new day. Morning dew glittered in the rays of sunlight as various native pokemon start to stir.

"AHHH! I'm late!" A high-pitched shriek tore through the peace and quiet, startling innocent pidgeys out of their bushes. Tying her untameable, waist-long hair into a high ponytail, Hikari casually dressed and ran down the stair in a rush, almost crashing into her unsuspecting father, Takashi.

"Woah, steady there, Riri!" It's only 6.30am in the morning!"

"It is?" Confused, Hikari turned towards the grandfather clock. 6.30am.

"Eh?" "Tick…tick…tick"

Her brain stuttered to a stop. Didn't her alarm clock show 7.30am? Just then, memories of the past night rushed back and her face lit up in realization and relief.

Today is a special day, the start of her apprenticeship with Professor Oak, resident (and very much famous) pokemon professor of the Kanto region. His many ground-breaking discoveries on relationships between human and pokemon made him renown across the world. Even little children knew the name Professor Oak, including her. Not to mention, him being the only professor licensed to gift qualified aspiring trainers a starting pokemon in the _whole of Kanto_. This amazing professor chose her, a mere 10-year old. The first 10-year old to obtain apprenticeship with professor Oak! Except for Gary, she grudgingly admits. She couldn't compete with the _grandson _of Professor Oak after all.

How can she not feel the pressure of such expectations? Despite so, Hikari was excited. Pokemon were such fascinating creatures, and with so much potential for growth! Somehow, she could feel their emotions and connect with them, in a way she could not with humans. She was a natural introvert, just like her dad, he claims. In fact, she was so excited, she was up all night reading _A Pokemon Guide to Breeding_ till 1am in the morning! Afraid of oversleeping, she had her alarm clock adjusted an hour earlier. It was clearly very effective.

Now with a relaxed spirit, she sat by the table to eat her breakfast.

"Looking forward to your day with Professor Oak, Riri?" Handing her a plate of mouth-watering matcha toast and poached egg, her mum, Yuna, asked.

"Mm…yeah! Zis is good…mm!"

"Now, Now, don't talk with your mouth full…" "_Es…peon!" _Espeon was laughing at her! She turned to glare at the traitor. "Yeah I'm looking forward to it! And I'll be working with dad too!"

Yuna shared a glance with Takashi, smirking. "Looks like you have your work cut out for you eh, dad?" He smiled jovially, nodding in agreement. "Sure I do, haha!"

"Oh, stop teasing me! I'm going to wash up. Wait for me, dad!" With that, Hikari barrelled back up her room, gone with the wind.

* * *

Dressed in a casual jigglypuff t-shirt and comfortable jeans, Hikari looked at the mirror and smiled in satisfaction. This should be good enough. Turning to her bag, Hikari did a last once-over. Water bottle? _Check. _Phone and wallet? _Check._ Notebook and pen? _Check._ Change of clothes? _Check._ All good!

"Let's go!" Shouting to no one in particular, Hikari ran down the stairs once again, two steps at a time. Tugging at her father's long sleeve, she pleaded with upturned eyes. "Can we go now?"

Sighing in resignation, Takashi grabbed his bag and allowed himself to be dragged out of the door.

"Bye mum!" "Bye Yuna!"

Hikari walked with a spring in her step. Professor Oak's lab wasn't too far, just a short 15mins walk from home. Walking along the path, Hikari observed the pokemon along the way. Pidgeys and rattatas foraged for berries in bushes, while butterfree and beedrill searched for nectar from flower to flower. Red maple leaves flutter in the wind. This picturesque scene gave her a sense of peace.

"Dad, are all pokemon this mild and tame?"

"Not all. The pokemon here tend to be milder because they are used to us humans. Though you must beware of spearows; they are fierce pokemon who would not hesitate to gang up on people who raised their ire." Hikari nodded in understanding, mentally taking note to never mess with spearows.

All too soon, they reached Professor Oak's laboratory and was welcomed by his genial smile.

"Hi there! How's my little assistant doing today? Excited to start?"

"Oh _yes_!" Hikari bounced on her toes in eager excitement. Standing next to Professor Oak in a laid-back stance, Gary hmphed. Hikari turned to give him a challenging look.

"It ain't as interesting as you imagine." Gary shrugged. "Oh you!" Hikari pouted, trying in vain to smack Gary on his shoulder.

Professor Oak chuckled at their childish antics, leading them into the laboratory. "Whether it's interesting or not, we'll know when we start, won't we?"

Picking up an access card from his cluttered desk, Professor Oak briefed Hikari on her work for the day.

"Today, you will be helping Gary with cleaning of the lab, patrol of the pokemon enclosure and pokemon feeding. This is your access card; with this you will be able to enter most areas of the laboratory. Now, no complaints, you two! And I do not want to see you fighting, do you understand me? Enjoy yourselves!" Oak silenced their protests with a wave of his hand, dismissing them with a jovial smile.

"Riri, remember not to lose your card! I know how absent-minded you are… I leave her in your capable hands, Gary." Takashi patted Hikari gently on the head. Hikari flushed in embarrassment, thoroughly wishing for a hole to hide in at her dad's show of affection. "I'm a grown girl now…" she mutters.

"Let's go." Giving a short nod, Gary turned and left. Hikari, who was shorter by a head, ran after his footsteps.

Very quickly, Gary gave Hikari a tour of the whole laboratory, showing her the various equipment rooms, testing lab, administrative office, and most importantly, the vast pokemon enclosure.

Hikari stood in awe as she looked at the various pokemon rambling about in their respective habitats of the enclosure. The size of the enclosure itself could rival the size of a large city; she could hardly see where it ends! Groups of muk, nidoran, grimer and geodude rolled around in the muddy marshlands, and various pokemon peeped out from the tall grass. One by one, Hikari called out their names. "Jolteon, bulbasaur, charmeleon, squirtle, ponyta, gloom, raticate…and that's one gigantic onix!" Unconsciously, Hikari beamed and let out an exclamation of awe.

Since she was young, her parents had never stopped telling wonderful stories of their pokemon journeys and pokemon they had met. Being a voracious reader herself, accompanied with a next to perfect photographic memory, Hikari could memorise the entire Kanto pokedex – forwards and backwards. Now, these pokemon she studied about have finally come to life in front of her eyes. Living, breathing creatures, more amazing than she has ever imagined. This is paradise!

"So that's what a 9m tall Onix looks like…"

"Hikari…hey, Hikari! HIKARI!" "Huh?" Hikari was struck out of her daze with her vision obstructed by a hand. A very exasperated Gary harrumphed at her. "You do realise we have work to do? We'll be coming back here later anyways."

"Ah right ehehe…Sorry I forgot!" Hikari gave an embarrassed laugh. Her laugh was cut short when a piece of cloth flew towards her face and she caught it in instinct. Gary hmphed, dissatisfied, and grudgingly walked back towards the lab.

"Time to clean the lab!"

"Hey, wait for me! You purposely threw the cloth at my face didn't you, you bully! I said wait…!"

* * *

Cleaning was absolutely exhausting. 'The lab is way too big!' Hikari decided. She was sweaty, soaking wet, and grumpy. Though, granted, half of their time spent 'cleaning' was in fact them bickering over who to bring the messy lab files into order and having a crazy water fight using two hoses (hence her wet clothes), creating an even bigger mess and earning themselves a strong reprimand.

Now, it was finally time for lunch! After washing up and making herself presentable (She gave thanks for her foresight in bringing a change of clothes), Hikari skipped to the kitchen to get her food. Despite the large size of the lab, they were heavily understaffed. Excluding Professor Oak, Gary and herself, there were only 5 lab staff. Out of these 5, Jennifer was the lab's only resident chef. Not only does she settle lunch for the staff, she ensures every Pokemon is well fed as well. Sporting a plump figure and big smile, Jennifer gave off a warm, motherly aura. Taking care of the various nutritional needs for those countless number of pokemon must not be easy, Hikari imagines. Yet Jennifer busies herself with great cheer and energy. If given such a task, she could hardly imagine where to start!

Stepping into the kitchen, Hikari was greeted with a mouth-watering smell of Kaigun curry and instantly salivates. Gary was already sitting at the table shoving food into his mouth.

"Hi there Hikari, good job cleaning the lab today! Here's your lunch, don't hesitate to come to me for second helpings alright?" Handing her the tray of food, Jennifer gave her a cheerful wink. Hikari responded with a shy smile.

"Has dad eaten?"

Jennifer's smile widens. "Of course, dearie. It's alright 1.30pm in the afternoon, they've only just finished before you came in. Don't worry too much and enjoy your food!"

"Thank you!" Smiling, Hikari dug in with gusto.

After stuffing themselves full, Hikari and Gary rose to help Jennifer transport the prepared Pokemon food to the enclosure. This was a tonne of food they were talking about, so much that they had to drive a few carts over as transport!

Once again entering the enclosure, Hikari's much anticipated pokemon feeding time starts. All 4 staff were gathered along with Professor Oak and her dad, each pushing a large trolley labelled with different sections. Marshland, plains, grassland, lake, sand and cave. As if clockwork, they started sorting and grabbing food for the respective pokemon living in their section, calling out to each other as they do so.

'Is this what you call an organized mess?' Hikari couldn't help thinking as she watched, overwhelmed. Before she knew it, Gary had joined Professor Oak's team, loading sacks of pokeblocks onto the trolley.

"Hikari, here!" Her dad called, waving her over. Next to him stood a beautiful lady with auburn wavy locks and horn-rimmed glasses looking to be in her mid-twenties. Despite dressed in a comfortable polo t-shirt and slacks, she exudes femininity and grace.

"This is Ashley, and she's in charge of pokemon living in the plains. Why don't you join her in feeding the pokemon there?" Smiling, her dad pushed her towards the lady.

"The pokemon enclosure is a place of relaxation for trainer-caught pokemon who have been temporarily relegated out of their trainer's main party. To improve their sense of comfort, we built artificial habitats mimicking natural pokemon habitats to the best of our ability. The plains are, as the name suggests, vast grassy flat plains home to numerous ponyta, rapidash, growlithe, arcanine, tauros, snorlax and ditto. We have here pokeblocks for ponyta, rapidash and snorlax. Please help me pick up pokeblocks for arcanine and ditto, thank you." Pointing towards the pokeblock sacks sitting in the corner of the cart, Ashley hoisted a 10kg sack of snorlax food onto the trolley with barely any effort.

'_Never underestimate a woman'_ Hikari thought with a shiver, stunned by Ashley's unintended show of strength. Running over to the cart, Ashley spotted the aforementioned arcanine pokeblock sack and dragged it over, sweating with the effort. By the time she managed to drag 3 sacks over, everything was loaded and ready to go. Looking at Hikari's sorry figure, Ashley's strict expression gave way to a small comforting smile. "You'll get used to it in time, it's just your first day." Feeling slightly encouraged, Hikari perked up.

Pushing their trolley, Hikari and Ashley arrived at the plains after a 25mins walk. There, Hikari was greeted with a wide grassy plain the size of two soccer fields. Ponyta frolicked about, occasionally breaking into a fast gallop. A few tauros stood still, flicking their tails and happily chewing on grass. Two huge snorlaxes lay flat under the shade of a tall tree, happily snoring away. A few arcanine lazed about, and four cute growlithe played with each other, jumping and rolling on each other. But where was the ditto?

Ashley noticed Hikari's look of confusion and smiled knowingly. "For your information, we have three growlithe and one ditto. The ditto is very mischevious, he loves to play the guessing game: Which is ditto. Why don't you give it a try?"

Hikari gulped, slowly walking towards the group of growlithe, carefully observing their features. Unfortunately, they look exactly the same! As if noticing they were being watched, two growlithe turned towards her. Curiosity emanates from the growlithe on her right, but the one on her left…

She could feel it, the waves of mirth flowing out from growlithe, as if suppressing his laughter. Or should she say…ditto?

"It's you…is it not?" Zeroing in to the growlithe on her left, Hikari breathed. Growlithe gave her a look of surprise, transforming back in a flash of white light.

Ashley clapped in amazement. "How did you manage to tell just by looking? This has to be a record!" Hikari smiled, brushing it off as luck. Ashley wasn't convinced, but did not push despite her curiosity. Everyone has their own little secrets after all.

"Now why don't you help me pour the pokeblocks into these pokebowls for the pokemon?"

With pokebowls prepared and laid out neatly, Ashley gave a sharp whistle, instantly catching the attention of every pokemon on the field. Excited for lunch, the pokemon ran over to their respective coloured bowls and dug in. Almost all, that is.

"Those two lazy snorlaxes…" Ashley sighed in exasperation as the two snorlaxes ignored her call, instead preferring to laze in the shade. "Hikari, can you please bring these two bowls to the snorlaxes? They can be so stubborn. Ditto, stop stealing ponyta's food!"

Ditto looked up with an innocent look, as if he was not just caught in the act of stealing. The tip of his gooey body continued to inch towards ponyta's bowl… In a flash, he grabbed a handful of pokeblocks and stuffed them into his mouth with a cheeky grin.

"DITTO!" Hikari jumped at Ashley's roar, startled. Ponyta nudged her bowl slowly away from the greedy ditto, snapping in irritation. Ditto munched, unrepentant.

'I wonder if this is a common occurrence…' Hikari wondered as she carried pushed two gigantic pokebowls of snorlax food towards the tall tree.

"Hey snorlax, It's time for your lunch. Please wake up!" Walking up to the two snorlax lying side by side, Hikari started to shake their belly in an attempt to wake them. Their fur was so fluffy and belly so soft, Hikari almost didn't want to let go. She had a sudden desire to jump and bounce on their belly…

"_Snore…lax…" _

"Oh, come on! If you don't wake up, I will really jump…"

"_Snore…"_ In his sleep, snorlax's hand swung to the side, smacking into Hikari and sending her flying right into the belly of the other snorlax.

"Ooof!" Landing on snorlax's soft belly with the wind knocked out of her, Hikari was reminded of a tennis ball being smacked into the wall. A soft, bouncy wall?

Suddenly, snorlax's eyes snapped open and it stared at Hikari in confusion. But not a second later, he wrapped his arms around a very much surprised Hikari, cuddling her to sleep.

'What am I? A bolster?! You're supposed to be eating!' Hikari thought in indignation as she struggles to escape snorlax's grip. But snorlax was way too strong even in his sleep. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't budge an inch. All she has got to show for her effort was her completely messed up hair and clothes. Though she had to admit, lying in snorlax's arms like this was just like lying in a soft, fluffy bed…

Slowly, the exhaustion of the day came back to her and she felt herself succumbing to darkness, original task long forgotten…

"Bang" Hikari was roughly shocked awake as her body hit the ground in a loud thud. She sat up, disoriented, greeted by the scene of both snorlax eating their pokeblocks, quailing under Ashley's angry glare.

"Oops?" Hikari laughed nervously. Ashley gave her a knowing smile. "They are rather affectionate, aren't they? I managed to get some cute blackmail too. Look at how cute you are!"

"Ahhh! Give it here! Give it here!" Hikari jumped high, reaching for Ashley's phone. So close, yet always out of reach. She did get a glance of the first picture – an embarrassing photo of her drooling in the embrace of snorlax. Hikari flushed.

"Beep! Beep! Beeeeep!" Suddenly, Ashley's watch rang and vibrated. Hikari froze, confused. 'What happened?'

"Don't worry, this vibration just means that a new pokemon has arrived. There, in the north, lies a teleportation platform and pokemon rest stop. Nurse joy will surely handle the newly arrived pokemon." Ashley smiled reassuringly.

"ROAR!" Just as Ashley finished explaining, an angry howl ripped through the air. Sirens blared across the entire enclosure and a red light flashed. Ashley paled. "Oh no…"

"It's a pokemon emergency!"


End file.
